Chapter 4: Poetic Justice at Last

Chapter 4:
Poetic Justice at Last

 

THIS LIFE-OR-DEATH game of tag just wouldn’t end.

Back on ground level, Flum found herself surrounded by soldiers. On the main street, people gawked and pointed at her. In the ghetto, vagrants and street punks tried to chase her down for the bounty. This feeling of having the whole world against her hurt more than the young boy’s words or the posters on the side of her house ever could. It’d been a mere two hours since the whole ordeal started, but Flum had been running the entire time; she was down to the last of her reserves.

“They’re…not gonna…get me…”

She’d already lost most of the feeling in her feet, and she could feel herself slowing down significantly. Still, she refused to give in to a man as despicable as Dein. She was going to foil every plan he cooked up and get home, one way or another. It was that promise to herself that kept her going.

Flum slowed to a walk, catching her breath on a relatively empty street. Suddenly, she heard a voice call out from above.

“There she is! Fire!”

She frantically turned to look up. Several archers stood atop a roof, already loosing arrows.

“Got her!”

“Ha! Think again!” Flum deftly dodged out of the way and drew her blade with both hands. She gave it a full-body swing, hurling it straight at the roof. The sword spun like a saw blade through the air, scattering the soldiers and catching one hapless man in the back of his head. Chunks of skull and gray matter flew every which way.

The mark on the back of Flum’s hand glowed as the Epic weapon disappeared and returned to its parallel dimension, waiting to be summoned again.

The men were shaken. “She killed another one!! You know what we’ve gotta do, men!”

She’d lost count at this point of how many people she killed. Killing someone for the first time changed you categorically; every death after that was a change in degree. If they were going to try to take her life, they should be prepared to lose their own.

Flum gave up on thinking about right and wrong for now. It wasn’t like she was just killing without reason. The more soldiers she killed, the more they began to question whether this was really something they wanted to do. Was following orders worth your life? Was it really worth it to throw everything away for a commander like that? These were the kinds of doubts she hoped to raise in their minds.

In fact, she already felt like the soldiers were being just a little less zealous in their efforts to catch her, though that may have just been wishful thinking. In any case, it made her feel better to think that way.

Flum took off again, leaving the soldiers to grieve for their comrade.

I’m slowly closing in on the Central District, at least…

She kept her wits about her as she continued her mad dash through the city, trying to keep to streets that were less likely to be covered by the soldiers. Block by block, she was edging closer to her goal. Just as she hit the border that separated the West and Central districts, she spotted a group of men standing around. Flum buried herself in the shadows and glanced ahead to get a better look.

The men looked to be part of Dein’s crew. They were chatting with a middle-aged merchant who was somehow familiar to Flum. Further back, she saw several kids with slave brands standing there, still and emotionless. Some of the children had no arms, others limped about awkwardly, and others still had burns on their faces. Not a single one of them was without some kind of injury.

The man wrung his hands as he spoke. “I just can’t thank Dein enough, ya know? He gets me revenge for my buds and buys up my damaged goods in one fell swoop. Be sure to thank him for me, yeah?”

Revenge for your buds… Does that guy have something to do with the slave trader who bought me?

There was really no limit to what Dein would do. Not only was he tight with the local army brass, but now he was trying to build connections in the Central District, too?

“Dying for a cause is about the best this scum could hope for.”

“Did you get the little runts ready like we asked?”

“Of course, of course. They’re all set up. You can blow them up whenever, wherever you need.”

The kids all had belts wrapped around their waists. A bag with a small crystal pin drooped from each belt. Flum hadn’t paid it much attention until the merchant mentioned it.

Is that black powder? I get that he doesn’t value slaves’ lives, but using kids as suicide bombs? Just how far are these guys willing to go?!

She felt her blood begin to boil. She ached to cut the bastards down right now, but she knew that wouldn’t save the children. Besides, the street was completely blocked off.

With a heavy sigh, Flum turned away to look for another route.

 

***

 

No matter where she went, the roads to the Central District were blocked by soldiers of the royal army, Dein’s goons, or kids with bombs. Sometimes a mixture of the three. There just wasn’t any way through. Flum wondered if there was any angle Dein hadn’t leveraged.

“There she is! Kill ’er!!”

She took off running again. Just how many times were they going to repeat this back and forth? The exhaustion was beginning to show on her face.

Glancing around a corner, she saw the words “Give Up” written in large letters on the wall.

She shook her head to banish the thought, but she was reaching the limits of her endurance at this point. She didn’t want to hurt anymore. It seemed so tempting to just stop running.

Up ahead, she noticed she was heading straight for a dead end, almost as if her thoughts had surfaced in reality.

Gah, looks like I made a wrong turn…

She was starting to lose her focus. Making matters worse, the walls around her were too high to scale, and she couldn’t reach any of the nearby rooftops. Too many people were closing in behind her to make fighting her way out a plausible solution.

“Checkmate.”

And there was the mastermind himself, standing among the crowd.

His timing was just too good—almost as if he knew exactly where Flum was going to make a mistake.

“Surprised to see you here, Dein.”

“I figured the next time we met, I’d be looking down at your body. But this is quite a happy coincidence.”

“Are you sure it’s such a good idea to waltz on up here? I could kill you at this distance, you know.”

“I’m trembling in my boots, kid. I’m an A-Rank adventurer; you really think you can punch that far above your weight class?”

“Then why are you using such underhanded means to get rid of me?”

“Just wanted to flex my power a bit—see how much I could get out of the army, network with the Central District slavers, y’know? But mostly, I just wanted to watch you suffer.”

The men behind him began clapping and cheering at this. She had no idea what they found so amusing.

“You must be tired. To be honest, I’m getting pretty bored chasing you around. Every soldier you kill is another hour I have to spend with their COs bending my ear. Why don’t you just give up?”

“Not interested.” Flum drew the Souleater and pointed the tip of the blade at Dein. She summoned up the last of her inner strength and fixed him with a defiant gaze. She would go down fighting.

Dein ran a hand through his hair. “Aah, the ignorance of youth. How dreadfully annoying.”

He then cast a sidelong glance, hatred clear in his eyes, back at Flum. “It makes me want to beat you down, break you, and teach you how the world really works.”

“Must be convenient to decide the world works whichever way is most useful to you.”

“What a childish argument, you impudent little runt.”

“Funny, that sounds a lot like you. I thought most kids stopped playing gangster well before their teens.”

“Shut up, you good-for-nothing wench. Keep mouthing off to me and I won’t make your death so easy.”

“That’s fine. I didn’t plan on dying easily anyway!”

Flum lunged toward Dein, though someone stepped in his way before she could reach him. His protector wasn’t a brave soldier but a young, one-armed slave who no longer had any value on the open market. A bag filled with black powder hung from the child’s waist.

“The mere sight of this kid makes you want to save her, doesn’t it, Flum?”

She grit her teeth.

“I get it. Really, I do. I was young once, too, and filled with that righteous zeal. I wasted my days fighting the forces of evil and being an all-around nuisance. And yet you couldn’t even protect that little lapdog of yours.”

“What did you do to Milkit?!”

“Aaah, yes, that’s her name. That little mummy girl with the bandages. Anyway, I’m pretty sure she’s already been strung up, violated, and killed by now. It’s really a shame you were so nice to her. Gave her something to lose. I bet she wondered why her master didn’t come to save her, right at the end.”

“Go to hell, Dein!!”

“Oh, I’m so scared, just petrified. I bet you guys are too, yah?”

The men gathered behind him cackled. They looked more worried about what they would have for dinner once this was all wrapped up.

“All right, I think I’m about done playing around. I’d hate to give you more time to think up another escape attempt. Could you just hurry up and take care of her for me?”

“What are you going on about?” Flum snarled.

“Suicide, of course. Just think about it—it’s almost poetic! Two underdogs of society come together and set themselves free of the pains of this world.”

The young girl walked unsteadily toward Flum. Her empty expression reminded Flum of Milkit. Maybe, just maybe, this girl could also find happiness of her own if someone would just reach out to her.

But the only thing anyone ever gave her was a bag of explosives tied to her waist and the instruction to die for these disgusting men’s amusement.

“Oh, you’re not thinking about trying to save her, are you?”

Flum didn’t respond.

“Cat got your tongue? I guess you agree, then. All right, listen, I’m a pretty conscientious guy, so I’ll offer you an alternative. I’ll take the bag off her, and you can just blow yourself up instead. Then the girl doesn’t need to die…though I really can’t promise what’ll happen to her after that. My boys here are pretty randy and, well, y’know. It takes a certain type of guy to want to make it with a dirty little slave, but I figure there’s gotta be about five or so guys here that fit that description. That leaves her about…what, two holes short? Gyahahaha!”

“If you’re short on holes, Dein, I’d be happy to make a new one for you.”

“With that dinky little knife? Look at little Miss Badass over here!” Dein and his men burst out into a round of raucous laughter. What was it with bastards and their desire to make someone choose their own death? Did it really make you feel superior to lord two awful choices over someone?

Flum didn’t hesitate. She walked up to the young girl, took a knee, and removed the bag from her waist. Even relieved from the threat of death, there was no change in the girl’s demeanor. She stared back at Flum with empty eyes and cocked her head to the side, probably unsure of what to do now that her one job had been taken from her.

After holding her gaze for a moment, Flum turned around to face Dein.

“Aww, what a sweet little lady you are,” he said. “A true shining example. You saved the girl from an explosive death, and now she can learn to enjoy all of the ‘love’ we can give her. We’ll fill her up until she chooses death rather’n endure any more of it. It’s gonna be pretty bad, ya know. A whole lot worse than just blowing up. But hey, I’m sure she’s thankful.”

Flum had a hard time believing she and Dein were even from the same species at this point. Even given years to interpret his words, she doubted she would ever be able to make sense of them beyond their component phonemes.

“That bomb right there, see the crystal on it? All you need to do is give it a little energy and boom! There it goes. It’s not all that powerful, really, but strong enough to kill one person. Maybe two.”

Dein and the young slave girl took a step back from Flum.

She looked down at the activator. Giving just a bit of magic to the crystal would set off the black powder inside and blow Flum’s body to shreds. The pain she felt from the arrows earlier would be nothing compared to being blown apart.

If she did that, then there would be no saving that young girl. The poor girl hadn’t done anything wrong other than just happening to be missing an arm, but they saw little value in her life beyond her deficiencies. Returning her to the slave trader wouldn’t be much better; all that awaited her was the same death in a miserable cell that Flum and Milkit had so nearly succumbed to.

Such a futile death.

None of the choices available to Flum would open any new doors for the child… If Flum were any normal person, that is.

She let out a breath.

With the bomb in her right hand, she held it out as far away from her heart as she could. Dein watched on with his men, cackling at Flum’s impending demise.

She ran her fingers over the crystal. It was cool to the touch. Closing her eyes, she focused on the crystal and felt her fingers tingle slightly as magic flowed freely through them.

KABOOM!

The corners of Dein’s lips curled at this, and the young girl’s eyes went wide as Flum was consumed by a bright flash of light.

Flum’s entire right arm blew clear off her body and landed in a nearby tree. It was easy to follow by the spray of blood that marked its path. Her face and neck were hollowed out, and the heat charred her exposed flesh. The blast sent her flying, jerking around wildly like a rag doll in the wind.

The blowback from the explosion caused Dein’s hair to stand on end. A gentle breeze rolled in, filling the alley with the uniquely pungent smell of burnt flesh. A slow, mirthful laugh escaped from the back of his throat.

“Ooooooaaaaaaah!!” The men all let out an excited cheer when Flum’s body finally crashed down to the earth.

As far as they were concerned, they’d finally gotten revenge against their comrades’ killer. They were beside themselves in their excitement. Some men danced, others undressed, and more than a few began closing in on the young slave girl.

“You’re a bunch of idiots, you know that?” Dein said.

“Hey, you’re laughin’ too, Dein.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t enjoying myself. It’s a party, after all. If we just had some alcohol, we’d be set. Flum here’d make a great appetizer.”

“Got a point there! I’ll go get the brews!”

He’d said it half in jest, but one of his underlings took off toward the nearest bar.

“There’re some real crazy guys out there. But hey, as long as we’ve got beer, I’m down for a good time.”

The crowd of men were already gleefully working over Flum’s body, tearing her apart. Once the initial assault died down, the men surrounded her prone form and began discussing what kind of fun they should have with her next as Dein watched.

A man ran up to his side. Dein furrowed his brow in annoyance at the man’s presence. “What in the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to take care of our other problem?”

The man was supposed to be part of the detachment attacking Flum’s home.

“What? You finished up your job and figured you’d come join in the festivities? Well, good timing. We just killed Flum a moment ago, and…”

“No, that’s not it.” The man’s face was deathly pale, and he was trembling uncontrollably.

“You look like death warmed over. What happened?”

“We…we failed.”

Dein’s cheerful demeanor changed completely. “What? How in the hell could you fail in capturing that frail little girl?!”

His outburst immediately caught the attention of the men gathered around Flum. They stopped what they were doing and looked over in his direction.

“Th-there was a burst of water that surrounded us, and the next thing I knew, we were getting thrown all over the place. I…I don’t even know where everyone else is.”

Dein cut the man short. “Cut the drama and tell me what really happened before—”

They were interrupted by the sound of a man’s scream. “Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

All eyes turned in the direction of the sound. The man was stabbed clean through the throat; blood fountained from the wound.

“What the…?”

No one could quite figure out what was going on until, a moment later, a black blade swept through the air and lopped off his head at the neck.

“That really hurt, ya know?”

There was Flum, fully regenerated and holding her sword at the ready.

“Like really, really bad.”

She moved lithely across the open square, lopping off one head after the other in short order.

“And here you are, mocking someone else’s pain?”

More necks divorced from their heads.

“You’re all scumbags. Death will suit you just fine.”

With one powerful swing, she severed three more heads. All her pent-up sadness, agony, and resentment were finally being released, exploding forth in this violent outburst.

“You… But you died,” Dein babbled. “How are you moving?!”

“It takes more than that to kill me!”

“What the hell are you?!” The mirthful grin on Dein’s face was replaced with a look of fear. The corners of Flum’s lips twisted up into a forced grin. Her eyes were full of pure, unrestrained bloodlust. “Are you some kind of monster?! Wait…no…is that an enchantment?!”

His men scattered, but Dein stood his ground and drew his weapon before casting Scan. All he could find were debuffs and curses.

“What’s going on here? No normal person should even be able to wield that thing!”

Every time Flum had showed her face at the guild, he’d dismissed her as nothing more than a pathetic slave. If he only thought to scan her gear, this never would have happened. Dein cursed himself for his hubris, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He changed tactics and focused on the task at hand.

“Get outta here, men! She’s some kind of monster!”

The thugs that hung around him ignored his command, still figuring they had the upper hand due to their sheer numbers. “Nah, Dein, she’s already killed a bunch of our brothers! Think about what it’d do to our reputation if we let that…gaaaauuuugh!”

Flum waded through the crowd, chopping men down with ease.

“No, please, stop…!”

“Stop? Like hell I will! Now die!!” Flum was beyond caring at this point; she cut down any man within striking distance.

The open square filled with the coppery scent of blood. The Souleater was completely soaked. Dozens of bodies lay on the ground.

Some of the men began to realize the folly of their plan and started to withdraw.

“We’re not done yet!!”

But there was no escaping Flum, who struck the men down from behind as they turned to escape.

Where did all that power come from? Dein thought. She’s even outclassed me! And now she’s gone and killed pretty much all of my men. It doesn’t make any sense; how did she come back to life with nothing but cursed gear? And what’s this bizarre story about water attacking my men?? I planned every little thing about this, and now it’s going to hell!!

“Dein, the royal army’s here! They’re coming to back us up!” One of the men next to him laughed excitedly as he pointed on ahead. Just as he said, there were a dozen or so soldiers closing in. They would be more than enough to take Flum down…

…But there was something strange about them. They looked frightened. In fact, they appeared to be running away from something, much like Dein and his cohorts.

“I’m s-sorry! Please forgive us! We were just following orders! Gaaaaaugh!!!”

“Th-this wasn’t supposed to happen! N-n-not like this!”

“I don’t believe it!”

A serpentine form made of flowing blood flew through the air after the men, tearing straight through one side of their armor and out the other before moving on to its next target. With Flum closing in from behind, Dein and his men had no choice but to stop. A woman in an immaculately white military uniform stood ahead of them.

“Who the hell are you?! You think you can just kill the king’s soldiers and get away with it?!” cried one of Dein’s goons.

Unfazed, the red-haired woman let out a snort, drew her saber, and pointed it at him. “Who the hell are you to talk to me like that, scum?”

“You…” Dein knew who this woman was. Anyone who lived in the capital and didn’t have their head buried in the dirt knew her.

“Lieutenant General Ottilie, at your service. I come at my sister’s behest to assist Flum in slaying the evildoers out here.”

Her name was Ottilie Fohkelpi, the second-highest ranking member of the royal army, and a student of the Genocide Arts fencing style.

***

 

A short time earlier, Ottilie paid a visit to Flum’s house. Though Milkit was a gracious host, the young general was still annoyed to find that Flum wasn’t there.

“It looks like we must have just missed each other. Do you know when Flum should return?”

“That I don’t. She usually comes back in the evenings, once she’s finished up whatever job she picked up at the guild. By the way, may I ask how you found Master’s home?”

“Do you have any idea who I am? I just had to do a little digging.”

Though they parted ways with an agreement that Flum would come see her sometime, Ottilie realized belatedly that she was rarely at the castle. Making matters worse, it was probably no easy feat for Flum to show her face around there, given her unique circumstances. Ottilie decided that it would be easier for her to come visit Flum instead.

“…And two drills…”

Ottilie was taken by complete surprise to hear Eterna’s voice coming down the stairs. “Eterna? Eterna Rinebow?!”

“…Yes. What’s it to you?”

“What do you mean what’s it to me? Why aren’t you on the journey?!”

“I got tired of it, so I left the party.”

“Just like that?!” Ottilie was beside herself at this point. It was even worse than Flum’s departure. “First Flum, now you… The party must be in complete shambles!”

“I think Gadhio will be leaving any day now, too.”

“How can you be casual about this?!”

Eterna sat down opposite Ottilie. “I mean, I don’t owe anything to the country, really. If it sucks, hit the bricks.”

Milkit swooped in and gracefully served the two women tea.

“Thank you, Milkit. By the way, what brings you here, Ottilie?”

“I came to speak with Flum, but I’m comforted by what I’ve found here.”

“And why’s that?”

“It’s tough for a young girl to live all alone in the West District. I’m glad she has roommates, and especially that you’re here. I still have my concerns, but this is better than her living alone.”

“That’s certainly an interesting assessment.” Eterna didn’t trust people easily, so it spoke greatly to Ottilie’s character that she would take her at face value. Actually, it was surprising how easily Flum and Milkit had agreed to live with her, given her tendency for chaos.

“By the way, does that bandaged girl belong to Flum?”

“I don’t fully understand the situation either, but they grew close when they were both slaves, I guess.”

“I’ve since become her slave, so Flum is now my master.” Milkit’s blush showed through the gaps in her bandages. From the way she spoke about Flum, it was clear she was no ordinary slave.

“You’re right. I don’t get it either,” Ottilie said.

“Glad I’m not the only one.”

“I guess I’ll just have to ask Flum about this myself…” Ottilie’s gaze suddenly shifted as she cut herself off. “What do you think about this, Eterna?”

Eterna’s expression grew serious. “That’s actually why I came downstairs.”

“I figured you must have picked up on it.”

“It seems like the house is well and truly surrounded now.”

“There are quite a few people, too.”

“Hmm? I don’t understand.” Milkit looked quizzically between the two women, completely unable to follow the conversation.

“We should probably split up, and…”

“No can do. Flum left me here to look after this place. Besides, there’s not enough guys out there to be a real challenge to me.”

“Then what should I do?”

“I’m pretty sure these are some of Dein’s goons. He’s always out to cause Flum trouble, so I doubt he’s only here for Milkit. Flum must be in danger somewhere. I want you to go out and find her.”

Ottilie stood up from her chair. “Understood. I’ll get right on that, then.”

Milkit’s face was full of concern. “Has… Has anything bad happened to Master?”

“Don’t worry. That girl can’t die easily.”

“I’ll find her as soon as I can, so you just wait here and try not to worry. I’ll bring your Master home to you.”

Milkit wasn’t totally convinced, but she bowed low and thanked Ottilie all the same.

A few minutes later, a crowd of rough looking men had assembled around the front of the house, armed with improvised bottle bombs. After making eye contact with the man at the center of the group, they nodded in unison, then lit their rags and loosed a volley.

The flaming bottles spiraled through the air, rapidly approaching their target. Once they hit the ground, the bottles would break and splash their fuel everywhere, quickly engulfing the house in flames and setting up its occupants for a painful death. If Milkit were to try to escape, Dein had already given his men the orders to do what they liked with her.

The crowd gathered out front eagerly hoped she’d make a break for it.

Unfortunately for them, things weren’t going as they planned.

Eterna looked up from her seat and pointed her hand toward the window. “Water Wall!”

A massive plume of water shot up out of the ground, forming a towering protective barrier in front of the house. The bombs bounced right back at the men, smashing down at their own feet.

“No way!!” Some men took off, screaming in terror, while others attempted to knock the bottles back. Unfortunately, this only smashed them, setting fire to the men.

“Water! Into the water!!” Another man immediately dove into the wall.

Eterna watched the goings-on beyond the window, never once setting her tea cup down. Milkit looked absolutely terrified, her hands clasped tightly at her chest.

“A mage?! We didn’t hear shit about a mage!!”

The leader of the group looked on in frustration. Eterna wasn’t about to let up yet. Considering they’d been ready to torture weak and defenseless Milkit, she decided they deserved no mercy.

She delicately rotated her hand through the air until her palm faced upwards, curling her index finger in like she was offering up a challenge. The wall of water folded into a massive sphere and floated toward the crowd.

“What the hell…?”

Just as it arrived in front of the terrified men, it burst like a balloon, engulfing the attackers and washing them away.

“No way…gyaugh!! Cut it out! Stop!”

Many of Dein’s men drowned within moments, their bodies washed out to far-off corners of the West District. After a few brief moments of chaos, the house was once again engulfed in a peaceful silence.

“Where did you send those men?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. They may’ve been washed down the sewers. Maybe even out of the capital entirely. If they’re particularly unlucky, they’re already dead. You worried?”

“No. They were here to hurt Master, after all.”

“That’s right. Hey, can I get some more tea?”

“Certainly, I’ll make you another cup.” Milkit grabbed the teapot and made her way back to the kitchen.

 

***

 

Dein was completely beside himself at this new development.

“You have got to be kidding me. Lieutenant General Ottilie?? Why are you protecting that slave?! That makes no sense!”

“What doesn’t make sense is whatever’s going on in that head of yours. Who would send a whole mob after a young girl? In any case, you’re done here. I’m going to put an end to your fun once and for all!”

“Ottilie!!” Flum’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the young general. Finally, she had someone to fight along her side, and a powerful ally at that. Now that Ottilie had arrived, the West District soldiers had no excuse to follow Dein’s orders.

“You sure attract the attention of some strange men.”

“I know, right? It’s been pretty rough.”

“Dammit!” said Dein, “I planned every detail! Victory was so close…but I’m not giving up so easily!!”

“Then I’ll just have to make you give up.” Ottilie brandished her saber. “Genocide Arts, Blood Anguis!”

A fountain of blood shot from the tip of her sword before forming into a snake and launching toward Dein.

“Dein, no!!!” One of Dein’s loyal followers threw himself between the Blood Anguis and his leader, taking the blow head on.

Located in the hilt of Ottilie’s sword was a Blood Cartridge, the source of her techniques’ power. Genocide Arts had a lot in common with Gadhio and Flum’s Cavalier Arts, though they relied on the energy stored in blood rather than transforming the body’s endurance into prana. The Genocide Arts were unique in that they not only directly inflicted wounds on their opponents but also drained their bodies of energy and barred their escape.

The man collapsed, too weak to even let out a cry of pain. His twitching was the only hint that he was still alive.

“Why’d he have go and do something like that?? Now there’s no way I can run!” Dein held the buckler affixed to his left arm at the ready. He reached back and wrapped his finger around a thin cord trailing from the small shield.

With a solid yank of the thread, the mechanism connected to the back of the buckler fired, launching a wire with a metal protrusion at the end. The chunk of metal slammed into a nearby roof and opened up like a flower, transforming into a series of prongs. Dein wrapped his thumb around another cord and gave it a twist, causing the wire to reel back in and pull him into the air with it.

“You’re a clever little one, aren’t you?!”

“I’m not letting you get away that easily!!”

Flum threw her Souleater, and Ottilie shot another Blood Anguis at Dein. Alas, they were only able to score near misses on the wayward adventurer before he pulled himself up onto the roof and disappeared down the other side.

“Damn, he’s fast!”

“He’s always got something up his sleeve,” said Flum.

Even with his comrades falling all around him, Dein somehow managed to keep a cool head and make a daring escape.

“More to the point, how did you find me so easily?”

“Once I found one of my soldiers, he fessed up quick.” Ottilie bowed down low. “I’m really sorry for all the hassle my men have caused you today.”

Under normal circumstances, Flum would wave the apology off. But… “I wish I could say it was nothing. But the truth is that this was pretty ridiculous.”

She quite literally almost died during this ordeal. If Ottilie didn’t do something to shut these kinds of problems down in the future, Flum wouldn’t be able to trust the army anymore.

“Oh, I absolutely agree. Those guys are going to have to pay. You have my word that the commander of the West District and the rest of his men will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“There’s a lot I’d like to discuss, but…” Flum imagined Milkit smiling eagerly as she walked through the door. “Honestly, I’d just like to go home and see Milkit right now.”

“I completely understand.” Ottilie felt that she had a slightly better understanding of the two girls’ relationship. They reminded her a bit of herself and her older sister. “But before you go, I want you to have this.”

“Hm?”

Ottilie took off her white coat with its embroidered commissioned-officer’s crest and held it out to Flum. “Your clothes look absolutely dreadful right now.”

Flum looked down at herself. Her outfit was reduced to clothes in name only, though, all vital parts were covered. Not only had all the arrows left her clothes pockmarked with tears, but the explosion ripped away pretty much everything on the right side of her body from her shoulder to her chest.

“Aah, thanks.” Flum couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

She slid her arms through the sleeves and hurriedly buttoned it up tight.